Beep Beep

Beep Beep originated in July 2001 when Eric Bemberger, Chris Hughes, and Joel Petersen—formerly of Gabardine—assembled the group and secured an early place on their former band’s imprint, Saddle Creek. Their debut album, Business Casual, appeared in August 2004 and delivered an intense nod to ’70s post-punk alongside the early work of Kate Bush. That style proved short-lived; after multiple personnel shifts, the band had evolved sharply by the time they returned to the studio in 2007, committing fully to new wave. Joel Petersen, who had earlier supplied bass for the Faint and issued his own material as Broken Spindles, departed to concentrate again on solo work. Chris Hughes exited shortly afterward, resulting in a revised roster of Bemberger alongside Darren Keen (the Show Is the Rainbow), Javid Dabestani (Bright Calm Blue), and James Reilly (Pharmacy Spirits). From thirty-two tracks captured during those sessions, the group selected fourteen for Enchanted Islands, which Saddle Creek issued in March 2009.